Sydney FC great Alex Brosque has expressed his shock after his former side were denied what looked like a clear penalty in their 1-0 derby loss to Western Sydney.
The Wanderers snapped Sydney's four-game winning streak when star striker Alou Kuol scored from close range in the 51st minute of Saturday night's blockbuster clash.
But the visitors were left fuming in the 90th minute when their handball appeals were waved away, despite Joe Lolley's rocket from outside the box cannoning into the hand of Western Sydney defender Anthony Pantazopoulos.
The shot was goal bound and Pantazopoulos' hand moved slightly away from his body as it made contact with the ball, blocking its path into the back of the net.
The VAR deemed no penalty should be awarded, sparking more debate about what actually constitutes a handball.
Brosque, who spent all but one season of his glittering 243-game A-League career in Sky Blue, couldn't hide his shock at the decision.
"We've seen coaches throughout the first five rounds not understand and not know what a handball is," Brosque told Paramount+.
"The arm's away from the body, it hits his hand. What is a handball?
"For me it's a handball, every day, every game of football on any part of this planet.
"It is coming in quick but the arm is away from his body. It's going towards goal. Penalty."
Sydney coach Ufuk Talay cut a frustrated figure as he talked to the referees after the final whistle, but he did his best to play down the handball incident when asked about it.
"The players obviously thought it was a handball, so it comes down to the referee's discretion," Talay said.
Sydney had rocketed to the top of the table on the back of their four-match winning streak, but Talay wasn't happy with the way they started the Wanderers.
"I don't think we were at the races until we conceded," he said.
"The opponent had more hunger and desire than us from the start of the game, which let us down.
"Overall, if we walked away with one point, we should have been happy."
Pressure was building on Western Sydney after opening their season with two losses and two draws.
Two wins on the trot have now thrust them back into the finals mix, but the win over Sydney could come at a cost.
Kuol limped off with a hip injury straight after scoring the match-winning goal, while left-back Alex Gersbach strained his hamstring late in the game.
